You're Just A Name To Me
by hudmelsonberry
Summary: On your thirteenth birthday, a name appears on your arm - the name of your soul mate. Your soul mate is the one person that knows you better than anyone and your life feels wrong without them. What happens when Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson have to go eight years without ever having met the person whose name is imprinted on their arm?
1. Chapter 1

This was written for my friend Reneh (kurtsbutt on Tumblr) because she wanted someone to write her a soul mate fic and I wanted to write one.

Usually, I'm horrible about keeping up with WIPs, but I'm super excited about this one, so I will try my hardest to keep up with it :)

~oOo~

No one knows why it happens; it's just an accepted part of life. The day of your thirteenth birthday (the age when people typically start noticing other people in a more than platonic way) a name appears on your forearm. It is black block letters, almost like a tattoo, and it's the same of your soul mate.

In recent years, it had become something of a fad to try and guess whose name would be on your arm. Sometimes girls would even come up with crazy rituals to try and make the name they wanted show up, even though having a soul mate didn't mean you had to be with them.

A soul mate was simply the one person in the world that would understand you completely. Sometimes that meant love, other times it just meant an amazing friendship.

Whatever the case, it was universally understood that you never felt whole until you met your soul mate.

~oOo~

Kurt Hummel always knew he was different. He preferred dolls and tea parties to video games and football. He knew that was the reason he didn't have any friends, but he never understood the names the other boys called him. When he'd asked his mom what "homo" meant, she said that was a name that people called people who were different. She also said that being different meant being special.

But then his mom died and Kurt learned the truth – that people called him all those horrible names because they thought he was gay, that he liked boys instead of girls.

By the time he was in eighth grade, Kurt felt more alone than ever. Not only did he still not have any friends, but everyone around him was learning who their soul mates were. Kurt would eventually find out who his was, but in the meantime he was growing impatient. Every time he walked down the hall, he wondered if the person passing him was his soul mate.

It was absolute torture.

The morning of his thirteenth birthday dawned and Kurt was awoken by a sharp pain in his right arm, followed by a persistent itch. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked down to see the black letters he'd been waiting for.

**Blaine Anderson.**

Kurt stared at it, his brow furrowed. Not because it was a boy's name (he'd accepted long ago that he was gay) but because he didn't know anyone named Blaine Anderson.

"Dad?" he asked, sitting down to breakfast. "Is it… possible for your soul mate to be someone you've never met?" In Kurt's limited experience, people were paired with someone they'd known their entire lives.

"Absolutely," Burt replied. "Why? Did you…?"

Kurt nodded. "Yep. Um… Blaine Anderson," he admitted shyly. He may have accepted his sexuality, but he was still in the closet.

Burt smiled, almost like he already knew. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it, buddy. You'll find him someday."

Pursing his lips tightly to hold back a sigh, Kurt nodded and looked down at his breakfast. He hoped he'd meet this Blaine guy soon because an empty feeling had settled in his stomach and he knew it had everything to do with the name on his arm.

~oOo~

Blaine Anderson was a normal little boy… for the most part. He played football and wrestled with the rest of the boys, but he also secretly loved musicals and other "sissy" things (as his dad called them). He had plenty of friends and never had any reason to suspect that he was different.

That was until middle school hit and people started liking other people _that way _and, perhaps more importantly, finding out who their soul mates were.

His friend Phil's birthday was a month before his and Blaine watched as everyone ostracized him for the "Joshua Carver" written on his arm. Blaine stuck by him, however, because he was fairly certain that he, too, would be paired with a boy. No one knew he was questioning himself, of course, but he was comforted by the fact that he would have someone on his side.

It was exactly midnight on his thirteenth birthday when he was roused by a stinging pain on his left arm. Turning on his bedside lamp, he looked down, holding his breath.

**Kurt Hummel**

Blaine smiled faintly before becoming worried. There was no way he'd be able to keep this a secret from his parents now. Staring at the name of his soul mate, he did the only thing he could think to do – he called his big brother.

"Happy Birthday, squirt!" Cooper answered cheerily.

"Coop… I got my name."

"This early? That must mean she already has your name. So spill, little bro. What's her name?"

"It's… It's a boy's name, Coop. Kurt."

"Oh, Blaine…" Cooper knew as well as Blaine how their father felt about homosexuality and the thought alone was enough to make Blaine start crying. "Ssh, buddy, it's okay. Don't cry." Cooper stayed on the phone with him until he'd calmed down and it was after two when they bid one another good night.

As he drifted back to sleep, Blaine hoped that wherever Kurt Hummel was, he was happy. Any other options hurt him too much to even think about.

~oOo~

So I know that's a tad short, but it's just an introduction! The chapters will get longer, I promise!

Review!


	2. Chapter 2

The response to this story already... I don't even know what to say except thank you thank you thank you. So, as my gift to you for being such wonderful human beings, here is the next chapter. It's also being posted on my tumblr (meggieklainer) and you can track the tag "fic: you're just a name to me" if you have a tumblr or whatever :)

Also, I know this is up kinda fast, but please don't expect all updates to be like this because you will only be disappointed. I'm going to try to update regularly, but I have the attention span of a goldfish (which is three seconds) so I'm probably going to end up getting distracted at some point (please don't hurt me, I'm nice I swear)

* * *

By the time Kurt was a senior in high school, he was almost certain that he was never going to meet Blaine. That maybe the universe had played a cruel joke on him and Blaine Anderson didn't really exist.

"You'll meet him, don't worry," Mercedes said one day when they were at the Lima Bean, reaching across the table to put her hand over Kurt's. He'd gotten into the habit of tracing Blaine's name whenever he felt especially lonely, which was happening more and more often these days. Sometimes, it would feel like Blaine was _so close_, but then Kurt would remember that that wasn't possible and the empty feeling in his stomach would come back stronger than ever.

"Easy for you to say. You have Sam." Mercedes, like Kurt, had yet to meet her soul mate – a boy named Andre Marcus – but she'd fallen in love with Sam Evans (who had also not met his "Emily" yet). Sometimes falling in love with someone who wasn't your soul mate was risky because you ran the chance of getting your heart broken (especially if you didn't fall in love with your soul mate – ouch) but Kurt thought that it must be nice to be loved like that. Not that he'd know since his dating options were limited to… well, no one.

"Well, we're graduating this year and then you'll be off to New York. Maybe Blaine's there, just waiting to meet you. And if not…" she continued with a sly grin, "sweetie, you're hot. I'm sure guys will be lining up for miles to take you out. You'll have to beat them off with a stick." Kurt laughed and ducked his head, blushing furiously.

"I guess you're right," he conceded.

"Aren't I always?" Kurt laughed again and the pair stood, depositing their empty coffee cups in the trash before heading for the door.

"Oh, sorry," a boy said, almost walking right into Kurt as they both tried to walk through the same door.

"No problem," Kurt replied, stepping aside to let the boy and his two friends pass. Once they were gone, Kurt and Mercedes continued to the parking lot, bidding one another goodbye before getting into their respective cars.

As he drove home Kurt tried to ignore the tingling in his right arm, which was usually easy to do, but had started becoming increasingly harder. Usually (according the websites Kurt had visited) the tingling meant that your soul mate was close, but there was no way Blaine Anderson was in Lima, Ohio. Maybe, Kurt thought, Blaine had been on his mind so much that he'd actually tricked himself into thinking he was close.

* * *

"Rumor has it that Sebastian asked you out," Wes commented as they waited for their coffee. "And you turned him down."

"Yep," Blaine confirmed. Sebastian was a nice enough guy (albeit a little forward) but something about him didn't feel _right _to Blaine.

"Blaine, come on, man. You can't keep doing this."

"Doing what, David?" Blaine asked, starting to get annoyed. He suddenly realized where this conversation was headed and why his friends had randomly decided that they needed to hang out away from Dalton.

"Denying yourself the chance to be happy because you have this insane notion of waiting for your soul mate."

"I don't see what the big deal is," Blaine said, grabbing his coffee and heading for a table. "Plenty of people wait for their soul mates."

"Yeah, like twenty years ago," Wes countered. "It's old-fashioned, Blaine. It's like asking a girl to go steady… or your hair." He smirked when Blaine glared at him.

"But in all seriousness," David interjected. "No one waits anymore. Besides, there's no rule saying that you have to fall in love with your soul mate. Maybe you and Kurt are destined to be just friends."

Blaine looked down at his arm. It was covered by his sleeve, but he had looked at it enough times to have the brand memorized. "It's not like that for us. I know that sounds strange because I've never met him, but it's like I can feel it?" He shook his head and chuckled once. "Maybe I'm just crazy. Am I crazy?"

"Maybe a little bit," Wes admitted. "Or maybe you're just lonely. All this waiting around isn't healthy and…"

"Can we please talk about something else?" Blaine asked hotly. He knew that he was probably being pathetic and that Kurt (wherever he was) most likely wasn't waiting because like Wes said, that practice was old-fashioned. But something in the back of his brain was telling him that this would all be worth it in the end and he knew there was no way Wes and David could understand that, so he thought it best to stop trying to make them.

"We're just worried about you."

"Well, don't be. I'm seventeen years old… I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Wes and David looked at each other, silently conversing, before David shrugged in a "what can you do?" kind of way. Wes sighed and said, "_Fine_. So, I was thinking that for Sectionals we should…" Blaine settled in to listen to his friends argue about harmonies and what song would sound best with Blaine's voice and other things that he should probably pay attention to. Instead, he pushed up the sleeve of his blazer and stared at the ten little letters stamped into his skin. The tingle he'd been feeling since he walked into the Lima Bean had started to fade and he pressed his forefinger into the 'K', but it remained as dark and black as ever.

_Where are you? _he silently asked the name that had come to define his life.

* * *

Senior year continued to pass, the lonely monotony broken by the momentary celebration of New Directions' Sectionals win, and the empty feeling in Kurt's stomach only intensified as Christmas and then Valentine's Day passed (seriously, why did there have to be so many holidays with traditions designed to remind him of how much his life sucked?). The only thing he was looking forward to was Regionals and even that was only barely because he knew that they were going to win.

"Are you okay, Kurt?" Finn asked one night as the two of them sat in the living room with Rachel cuddled into Finn's side. "You've been acting really depressed lately. I mean, I know you're always kinda bummed about the whole "not having a soul mate" thing, but you haven't smiled in weeks. So what's going on?"

"I just…" he hesitated, not sure what to say. Sure, he and Finn were brothers and they talked, but they had never been the "bare your feelings", Brady Bunch kind of siblings. In the end, he decided Finn and Rachel wouldn't hold anything against him, so he continued. "It's like, everyone but me is happy. And it's not just people with soul mates because half the glee club hasn't met theirs yet and they're still happy. Because they can be with other people. I don't have that. And it just… sucks, you know?" he finished lamely.

"Yeah… well, actually, no," Finn amended and Kurt smiled a little at the look on his face because he could tell that Finn was trying to understand what Kurt was going through and that he felt bad because he couldn't. "But you're going to New York in a few months, right? There's a lot more gay guys there than there are here and one of them is bound to like you." He smirked and Kurt rolled his eyes. "So just… just hang in there, okay?"

"Yeah, everything will work itself out in the end, Kurt," Rachel said in that chipper voice that sometimes made Kurt want to kill either her or himself (depending on the day and his mood).

Kurt nodded and agreed with them like he was supposed to and they turned their attention back to the TV.

What Kurt didn't tell them, however, was how much he wanted to be loved by someone – _anyone_ – or to scrub the words "Blaine Anderson" off of his skin.

Anything to make that empty feeling go away.

* * *

As Regionals neared, Blaine was doing one of three things: practicing his solo, rehearsing his duet with Sebastian (real subtle there, Wes), or dodging Sebastian's continued advances.

Oh, and thinking about Kurt, though that went without saying.

"I don't get it," Sebastian said abruptly one day in the middle of their song.

"It's a pop song, Sebastian, there's nothing to _get_. Just sing the words and you'll be just fine." Blaine groaned and ran a hand over his hair. He wasn't having the greatest of days to start with and having to spend multiple hours alone with Sebastian Smythe wasn't exactly doing anything to turn it around.

"No, not that," Sebastian snapped, causing Blaine to raise a curious eyebrow. "_You_. I don't get why you won't go out with me. I'm hot, you're hot. I don't see what the problem is." Blaine didn't say anything because if his best friends couldn't understand the connection he already felt with Kurt, then how could he expect a guy he'd only known for a few months to? Unconsciously, his hand came up to hold his left forearm and Sebastian groaned. "Oh, don't tell me you're one of those people."

"What people?" Blaine asked, knowing the answer before Sebastian opened his mouth.

"One of those hopelessly naïve people who thinks their soul mate is the be all and end all. News flash, Anderson, they're not. Do you think Andrew cares that I have successfully fucked my way through… most of the gay guys in Allen county? No, he doesn't. Probably because he's done the same thing, but whatever." Sebastian waved it off and continued in a softer tone that Blaine didn't know Sebastian was capable of. "The point is, if you keep living this way, when you finally do meet whatever his name is, you're going to be disappointed. Life isn't a fairytale, Blaine, no matter how much you want it to be."

For whatever reason, that set Blaine off and before he could stop himself, he was yelling. "You don't think I know that? You don't think I haven't had people _telling _me that for years? I don't want to feel like this about someone I've never met but I _can't help it_. I know everyone thinks I'm crazy, and maybe I am, but it's how I feel and how do you tell a person to stop feeling? It's impossible. So, yes, thank you for your input, but it was both unnecessary and unwanted." Gathering his stuff, he quickly left the room because there was no way in hell he was going to let himself cry in front of Sebastian Smythe.

As soon as he turned the corner, his phone vibrated in his pocket, letting him know he had a text message. He pulled it out and wiped away the tears clouding his vision before reading Cooper's message, a smile spreading over his face.

_Hey, did you find him yet? I better get a picture when you do! Ok, that's all! Have a great day, B! xoxo Coop_

Leave it to his brother to make everything better without even knowing anything was wrong.

* * *

Kurt sat in New Directions greenroom at Regionals, tuning out Rachel's incessant cries that everything was wrong and they were going to lose and they were all going to ruin her future while concentrating on his arm, which had not stopped tingling since they'd arrived an hour earlier.

"Stop rubbing it," Mercedes ordered, slapping his hand away. "You're gonna rub yourself raw and then Rachel will yell at you." Kurt tried to laugh, but the tingling started again and he went right back to rubbing it. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I... don't… know," he said through gritted teeth. "It just keeps tingling and it's kinda starting to hurt."

"Ooh," Tina interjected, sitting down next to Kurt on the couch. "Maybe that means he's here."

"Right," Kurt scoffed. "I've only been looking for him for five years and he just _happens _to show up at my show choir competition? What are the odds of that happening?" He looked down at his arm, which was red and inflamed, making the black letters stand out even more than they already did against his pale skin.

"Stranger things have happened," Tina said with a shrug. "Don't give up Kurt – today might be your lucky day." She kissed his cheek and stood to go talk to Mike.

"Yeah, well, I've never been very lucky, now have I?" he muttered to no one in particular, attacking his arm again.

* * *

"Is it supposed to hurt?" Blaine complained, looking at Wes and David. They looked at each other, huffed, and looked back to Blaine. Wes held out his hand and Blaine stuck out his arm to let his friend examine it.

"Well, no wonder it hurts, you idiot. You're bleeding."

"And it looks like your arm was mauled by a bear," David commented.

Blaine snatched his arm back and held it against this chest. "It was itchy! What the hell was I supposed to do?"

"Uh… be a big boy and leave it alone?" Wes suggested. "Blaine, until you actually meet him, your arm is going to tingle whenever you're near each other. It's just something you're going to have to get used to."

"Wait… you mean he's here? Now?"

"There's a high possibility, but you can't push fate, man. If you're meant to meet today, then you will. Otherwise, you need to keep waiting."

Blaine sat down and looked sadly at his scratched up arm, the words still in pristine condition.

He was tired of waiting.

* * *

The rest of Kurt's senior year was uneventful, save for a Nationals win.

As for his arm… well, it tingled a few times after Regionals, but nothing major.

And when he moved to New York at the end of the summer, it stopped tingling all together.

* * *

The rest of Blaine's junior year was uneventful, save for finally snapping and giving Sebastian a piece of his mind.

As for his arm… well, it tingled a few timed after Regionals, but nothing major.

By the time school started back up in September, it had stopped tingling all together.

* * *

So that's chapter two! Sorry if it's a confusing mess... I needed to cram an entire year into one chapter because chapter three is where the real story begins? (Are you guys ready?)

Review!


	3. Chapter 3

So here's a little Christmas gift from me to you! (If you celebrate Christmas, I mean, If you don't, please enjoy my fic on this completely ordinary day!) I debated whether or not to actually post this because people have been asking me "When are they gonna be happy? I need them to be happy!" and well, they're not... yet. But I'll let you read at your own risk :)

* * *

"I hate you," Kurt said into his phone, pushing his way past the crowd of people who seemed absolutely hell bent on being in his way.

"Why?" his boyfriend Jordan chuckled on the other end.

"1) Because don't have class until one, so I know you're still in bed and 2) your little… surprise this morning made me late."

"You weren't complaining earlier," Jordan pointed out and Kurt almost _hear_ the smug grin on his face.

"I… well, that's… God, I hate you," he grumbled over the sound of Jordan's laughter.

"Love you, too, babe."

Someone bumped into Kurt from behind, nearly knocking his coffee out of his hand. "Listen, I gotta go, okay?"

"All right. See you tonight."

"Don't stay in bed all morning," Kurt warned, knowing that if he had his way, Jordan would spend half of his life in bed and the other half in the kitchen.

"But it's warm and smells like you," Jordan whined.

"I need you to mail my dad's birthday present since I won't be home until after the post office closes." In their year and a half together, Kurt had learned that the best way to get Jordan out of bed was to give him something to do, even if it was just doing the dishes.

There was a rustling on the other end and Kurt smiled because he knew his boyfriend so well. "Got it," Jordan said. "Love you, Kurt."

"Love you, too." Kurt hung up the phone, following the sea of bodies onto the train car and sitting down next to a man who was lip synching along with his iPod, using his beat-up guitar case as a make shift drum.

As the train started to move, Kurt leaned his head back and closed his eyes, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep before his stop. Right before he dozed off, however, a sharp tingle went up his arm. Opening his eyes, he looked down at the name, which looked as innocuous as it always did. He ran a hand over it, wondering what had caused it to tingle after three years of nothing.

He shook his head because he had more important things to concentrate on, including getting to class on time, which at this point seemed next to impossible.

When the train finally reached his stop, he only had ten minutes until his class started. Maybe he could make it if he sprinted, he thought, quickly calculating the route. He stood and slung his bag over his shoulder, impatiently waiting for the car to empty (seriously, did he have to get stuck with the slowest people on the planet?).

Finally, he was above ground and running towards the building where his class was held. He almost barreled over the guy he'd been sitting next to on the train and shouted, "Sorry!" over his shoulder but didn't have time for anything more than that.

By the time he sat down in his class (exactly one minute before eight, he might add) his arm was tingling so bad that he was reminded of Regionals his senior year of high school. He wondered what it meant, but didn't dwell on it like he would have in high school.

After all, he had Jordan now. He was happy – the emptiness was gone.

* * *

"You're late," Abby commented as Blaine walked into the coffee shop, guitar case in hand.

"Hey, I'm out of bed at eight AM on my day off. You're lucky I'm even functioning." He smiled at her until she smiled back and started to make him a coffee.

"Thanks for doing this," she said as he lifted himself onto the counter, accepting the coffee she held out to him. "You're literally saving my life. Some of my regulars might resort to murder if they didn't get to hear live music."

"Oh, yeah, wouldn't want to make the hipsters mad." Abby balled up a napkin and threw it at his head, laughing. "Hey!" he complained.

"I hate you sometimes," she huffed and Blaine rolled his eyes because she told him that she hated him on a daily basis and yet somehow they were still best friends. "So, tell me. What's going on in Blaine Land?"

"Um… school and going to auditions, mostly. Very exciting, I know."

"What about boys?" she prodded, poking his cheek.

"Nope." Blaine knew that it was kind of pathetic to be twenty years old and never been on a date, but he was staying true to his word of waiting for Kurt. He at least wanted to see what he was like before he decided whether or not to date. Like, what if Kurt was amazing and perfect and Blaine wanted nothing more than to give him everything but he couldn't because he'd already given it to someone else?

"And why not?" Abby raised a pierced eyebrow, giving him the same look his mom would when she was disappointed with him. "I just don't get it, Blaine. You could have any guy you want and yet you sit around waiting for some guy you've never met. What makes him so special?"

Blaine actually couldn't answer that. He didn't know what made Kurt Hummel stand out. All he knew was that the universe wanted them to be in each other's lives. And he wouldn't rest until he figured out in what capacity. "That's what I'm trying to figure out," he admitted, tossing his empty cup in the trashcan behind the counter. "But enough about me and my pathetic life. How's Colin?"

"Why don't you ask his new girlfriend," Abby deadpanned, furiously tugging at a loose thread on her sweater. She tried to downplay her many failed relationships as much as possible, but Blaine knew that it was killing her inside. "Anyway," she said after a minute, clapping her hands together and grinning broadly. "You, Mr. Anderson, need to take that guitar and that cute little butt of yours up on that stage over there and make me some money."

Blaine hopped off the counter and grabbed his guitar case. Abby leaned over the counter and kissed him on the cheek before shoving him with both hands towards the little stage by the window (Blaine always likened it to the stage at Central Perk in _Friends_).

While he tuned up his guitar and warmed up his voice, Blaine was very aware of Abby watching him. She was worried about him, all of his friends were, and he knew that. But he wasn't giving up on Kurt.

Especially not now that his arm was starting to tingle again for the first time in three years.

* * *

It was nearing six o'clock by the time Kurt was finally ready to start heading home. As he texted Jordan to say that he was on his way, a dull ache formed behind his eyes, his body's signal that he needed a serious caffeine injection.

Pocketing his phone, he looked around to see if there was a Starbucks nearby. Surprisingly, there wasn't, but there was a small coffee shop just ahead of him called Morning Joy. Ignoring the cheesy name, he pushed the door open and joined the small line. While he waited, he listened to the conversations around him, but that just made his head throb even more.

When he was two people away from the front of the line, he heard a guitar start playing a song that sounded vaguely familiar. He ignored it until the person playing the guitar started to sing, at which point he had to turn around to see what kind of person could have a voice like that.

_Days like this I want to drive away_

Kurt was surprised to see the guy he'd sat next to on the train that morning. It always amazed him how a city of millions could still be so small.

_That was then and this is now  
Now look at me_

As the guy continued to sing, Kurt was mesmerized. Not only because he'd managed to turn a Katy Perry song into song that was tolerable, but also because he was probably the single most attractive guy Kurt had ever seen (don't tell Jordan he said that).

"Can I help you, sweetheart?" Kurt turned around, startled to find that it was his turn. The girl who had spoken smiled, tucking a turquoise-streaked piece of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, you in the fabulous jacket." Kurt smiled – he had a feeling he was going to like this girl – and stepped up to the counter, sparing only a half-second glance back at the guitar guy. "Don't even bother, buddy," the girl said. "He doesn't date. At all. Ever."

"Oh, I have a boyfriend," Kurt replied calmly. "I just… he's really good."

"That he is," the girl – whose name tag said Abby – said, puffing her chest up proudly, which made Kurt think the two of them were close friends, if not related in some way. "So what can I get for you?" Kurt placed his order and when he told her his name, he swore he saw her eyes bug out of her head. "Got a last name, Kurt?"

"Umm… Hummel," he replied, wondering if maybe she was high.

Abby started giggling like crazy – further reinforcing Kurt's assumption that she was high – then composed herself and said, "Do you think you could hang around for a little while? There's someone I want you to meet."

"I guess…?" Abby smiled and handed Kurt's order off to someone behind her before going to find whoever it was that she wanted him to meet. While Kurt waited for his coffee, he texted Jordan to say that he stopped for coffee and he might be little bit late.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to see Abby standing there, bouncing excitedly, and holding the hand of the cute guitar player. "Kurt Hummel," she said formally and Kurt could actually see the guy's breath catch in his throat. "This is Blaine Anderson." _Blaine Anderson_. All of a sudden, his arm felt like there were a million ants crawling underneath the skin and breathing was no longer an option. After eight years of wondering where Blaine Anderson was, he was actually standing in front of Kurt. "Well, I'm sure you two would like to get to know each other and I have customers to attend to so… bye!" She waved at them and bounced away like a child on a sugar high.

Kurt looked at Blaine and - God it should be illegal for eyes to be that beautiful – said the only thing one could say to the person they'd been searching for for almost a decade.

"Hi."

* * *

"Hi."

Blaine didn't know that a person's voice could sound so musical when they weren't singing and was that weird to think? Yeah, it was probably weird. Instead of saying that, Blaine settled for the significantly less creepy, "Hi."

"So um…" Kurt said, rubbing his right forearm. "Is your arm totally freaking out, too?" Blaine nodded, resisting the urge to violently scratch at it. "Well, I read online the only way to calm it down is to physically touch your soul mate. Not – not that I've looked into it m-much," he was quick to add, flushing a brilliant shade of red. "I just…" he took a deep breath, smiling on the exhale (Blaine might have been just a bit dazzled by the sight of it) and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Kurt Hummel. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Blaine Anderson. And likewise." He grasped Kurt's hand and almost as if by magic, his arm stopped tingling and he was filled with a warmth that he could only describe as 'home'. Kurt smiled at him and Blaine knew he was experiencing the same thing. "Do you uh… wanna sit down?"

"Yeah." They walked to a table in the back corner of the room and sat in a strangely comfortable silence for a few minutes before Kurt said, "So, I uh… heard you singing. You're – you're really good."

"Thanks." Now it was Blaine's turn to blush as he raked a hand through his curls.

"I can't shake the feeling that I've heard you before, though. Which is weird because I've never seen you before." He stared at him like he was trying to place him and Blaine suddenly felt very on-display, naked in a way. After a minute, Kurt shook his head and said, "So, Blaine Anderson, I've been staring at your name for eight years," which meant that Kurt was a year older than him because Blaine had only had Kurt's name for seven years, "but that's all you are – a name. Who is Blaine Anderson the person?"

"Um… twenty-year-old struggling music student at NYU whose best friend is a blue-haired coffee shop owner who should probably win an award for the most annoying human being on the planet. I grew up in Ohio and…"

"Wait, Ohio? What part?"

"Westerville…" Blaine said hesitantly, wondering why the mention of Ohio had Kurt so excited.

"No fucking way! I grew up in Lima." Blaine was completely floored. His favorite coffee shop back home had been in Lima – there was a chance they'd run into each other at some point. "So were you into music in high school, too?"

"Yeah, I was actually the lead of my school's glee club."

"I swear to God if you say you were in the Warblers, I'm going to fucking scream." Blaine chuckled and ducked his head. "Okay, this is seriously weirding me out. I was in the New Directions – we competed against you guys a couple of times."

Blaine's jaw literally dropped. He thought about all the opportunities he had to meet Kurt, but stupid Fate decided to be a bitch and made him wait for seven years. _Oh, well, _he thought. _Maybe he'll be worth the wait._

They talked well past closing time and only parted because Abby yelled at them that she had better things to do even though Blaine knew she was going to go home, eat ice cream, watch _Sex and the City_, and complain about men to her cat Humphrey (or Blaine himself). After exchanging numbers, Kurt went one way and Blaine and Abby went the other.

"Sooo…?" she drawled, bouncing on the balls of her feet and clutching his arm. "Was it everything you'd ever dreamed it would be?"

Blaine sighed contentedly. Now that he'd met Kurt, he felt as if everything was right in the world and that nothing bad could ever happen to him again. "It was amazing. _He _was amazing." He didn't say it out loud, but he couldn't wait to see Kurt again because being apart from him already felt wrong, like some vital part of him was missing.

"Uh oh," Abby said softly, stepping in front of him. She put her hands on his chest and said, "B, you're my best friend and I don't want to see you get hurt. So, before you get too deep into this thing, you should know… Kurt has a boyfriend," she finished softly, dropping his gaze.

Blaine's heart sank into his stomach. He hadn't factored a boyfriend into his perfect fairytale ending.

* * *

So there's chapter three - please don't hate me! And a very Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it and a Happy Tuesday to those who don't. I'm not sure when I'll post chapter four, but it will be soon!

Review!


	4. Chapter 4

The response to this story so far is mind blowing, considering there's only been three chapters so far. I especially love the reaction to Jordan (even if he's one of the good guys and you shouldn't hate him) because I created him and to know that something I created is making people so passionate is just brilliant and it warms my heart. I just hope you guys continue to love it as much as I love writing it.

Oh, and massive thanks to my best friend and beta Willa, who always reads over the chapters before I post them to make sure they're angsty enough for you guys. Speaking of her, she won't have a lot of Internet access from the 29th-31st, so I probably won't be updating until the new year because I want to run everything by her first. That being said, I will continue to write while she is away so that when I get to posting again, I'll have plenty for you to read :)

Now onto the story!

* * *

The next few weeks were filled with mixed emotions for Blaine. He loved getting to know Kurt and learning about his life, but at the same time, the fact that Kurt had a boyfriend was always in the back of Blaine's mind. He wasn't letting himself feel everything he wanted to for Kurt because he knew that Kurt couldn't feel the same for him, at least not now.

"So," Kurt said one day as they sat at their usual table at Morning Joy, "you know all about my love life – even the time I was in love with my stepbrother – but you haven't told me anything about yours." He leaned forward and rested his chin on his hand. "So spill."

"Um…" Blaine ran a hand through his hair, thinking. He contemplated making up some ex-boyfriend to make himself seem less pathetic, but there was something in him that wouldn't let him lie to Kurt. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh." Kurt crossed his heart and flashed that dazzling smile that made Blaine's heart melt. "When I was fifteen, there was this guy, Jeremiah. He was the junior manager at the GAP and I really liked him even though we'd only hung out twice. So I convinced the Warblers to help me serenade him and I kinda sang 'When I Get You Alone' to him in the middle of the GAP. I got him fired and he turned me down." Kurt blinked a few times, then burst out laughing. Blaine's jaw dropped, pretending to be offended, and he threw the last bit of his biscotti at Kurt. "You promised you wouldn't laugh."

"I'm. Sorry," Kurt choked out between giggles. "But that's the. Funniest thing. I've ever heard."

"Glad to know you get enjoyment from my embarrassment," Blaine said, faux-anger creeping into his voice.

Kurt choked back a laugh and took a sip of his coffee. Once he sobered himself, he said, "No, of course I don't. I'm sorry. Continue."

"Well, besides the sort-of date to the dance I told you about," Blaine didn't really like talking about the night he'd been beaten to an unrecognizable pulp, but the same part of his brain that wouldn't let him lie to Kurt also prevented him from sparing any detail, "and this guy I went to high school with that used the cheesiest pick-up lines imaginable, there hasn't been anybody."

Kurt's coffee paused halfway to his mouth and his eyes went wide as he studied Blaine's face. "Shut up. You're trying to tell me that_you've _never had a boyfriend?"

"Not even a date," Blaine admitted with a sheepish smile. "I know I'm pathetic – feel free to tease."

Kurt continued to stare at him, his brow furrowed like he was thinking hard about something. "I'll tease you as soon as I stop being so shocked. I just mean – and don't go getting a big head or anything – you're… well, you're really hot. I find it hard to believe that you've never been asked out."

"Oh, they've asked," Blaine corrected off-handedly. "I've just always said no."

"Wow, you must have super high standards," Kurt joked and then changed the subject to something his bitchy teacher had done, which was a safe, mundane topic – exactly what Blaine needed.

While Kurt talked (and, _damn_, could that man talk) Blaine got lost in his thoughts. He knew the things he felt for Kurt were less than platonic and he knew somewhere deep in his core that he was meant to spend the rest of his life with Kurt Hummel, but telling Kurt any of that was taboo. Kurt had a boyfriend and from the few mentions of him he'd made, Blaine could tell that he was very much in love with him. As much as he wanted to be with Kurt, there was a larger part of him that argued that Kurt's happiness was all that mattered. And if that meant being with Jordan, then Blaine would have to accept that, no matter how much it killed him inside.

"Oh, I completely forgot!" Kurt exclaimed, interrupting his own story about applying for an internship at Vogue. "Jordan and I are going to the movies tonight and he asked me to invite you along. He said that I talked about you often enough that he might as well meet you." Blaine's heart gave a funny lurch at the thought of Kurt going home and telling his boyfriend all about him. "Unless you already have plans…" Kurt added uncertainly.

"Just listening to Abby complain about how the most recent love of her life dumped her." Sometimes Blaine felt like Abby was on a path to self-destruction and all he could do was stand by and helplessly watch. But they needed each other because for the longest time, they'd only had each other. "Actually," he said after a moment, "would you mind if she tagged along? It'll be good for her to get out of the house."

"I think it's great how much you two care about each other. It reminds me a lot of me and Rachel, actually." Blaine remembered Kurt telling him about his friend from Ohio whom he'd lived until he moved in with Jordan and how she was exceedingly annoying, but Kurt loved her anyway. Actually, Blaine remembered everything Kurt told him. "Yeah, of course she can come," Kurt continued and once again, Blaine was snapped painfully back to reality. "Just let me tell Jordan." While he stepped away to call Jordan, Blaine walked up to the counter, hopping over it with a practiced ease.

"Only employees are allowed behind the counter, Anderson," Abby chastised, a grin creeping onto her face.

"Shut it, Pengrave," Blaine retorted. "You need to close early." Abby raised a questioning eyebrow, Blaine's sign to continue. "Kurt invited me to a movie with him and Jordan and I need you to be my buffer."

"Gonna punch Mr. Boyfriend in the face and whisk Kurt off into the sunset?"

"Ssh," Blaine said, slapping a hand over her mouth. That was another quirk of Abby's – she talked as if she couldn't hear herself and ended up being very loud. "Inside voice, Abigail. And, no, I wouldn't do that to Kurt. I just… need you to make sure I don't say something stupid."

"Yeah, I can do that as long as you don't call me Abigail again." Blaine grinned and kissed her on the cheek. Abby took off her apron and yelled at the customers to leave (Abby didn't have what normal humans called "people skills"). "Now let's do this." The two hopped over the counter and joined Kurt by the door.

"You guys all set?" Kurt asked. "Jordan's gonna meet us there. Was there anything out that you particularly wanted to see?" Blaine shook his head. Between school, auditions, and a few gigs here and there, Blaine was so busy that he didn't even know what was playing.

"Well," Abby drawled. "There is that new slasher film. I can't remember the name of it, but I've heard it's really good." They all agreed that that was okay (Kurt assuring them that Jordan _lived _for gory movies) and started towards the theater.

It took about twenty minutes to walk, but they eventually made it. "Kurt, over here!" a deep voice called from the line. Kurt rushed towards the voice and Blaine looked just in time to see Kurt throwing his arms around a tall, muscular blonde and kiss him full on the mouth. He didn't dare look at Abby because he knew she's be able to see right through him to the burning fire of jealousy in his heart and he didn't want to hear that sermon again.

"Uh… we should probably g-get over there," he stammered as he tried to keep his voice steady.

"Okay," Abby said in what Blaine referred to as her mom voice because it was the same tone his mom used whenever their conversation was going to be continued later. She squeezed his hand gently and they made their way over to Kurt and Jordan.

"There you two are!" Kurt said happily, his face lighting up. "I thought I lost you or something." He turned to Jordan, who had his arm snaked around Kurt's waist. "Babe, this is Abby Pengrave and Blaine Anderson. Guys, this is my boyfriend, Jordan Sweeney."

Jordan held out the hand not resting on Kurt's hip. "So this is the infamous Blaine," he commented as Blaine took his hand and shook it. "Kurt just won't shut up about you." Blaine gave a tight-lipped smile because that was easier than either A) lying or B) telling Jordan that Kurt had only mentioned him a handful of times. "So it's nice to finally meet you."

"You, too," Blaine said genuinely. As much as he'd been jealous at first, he could see how happy Kurt was and that was worth more than anything to him. "So Kurt tells me you're studying to be a teacher. That's cool – nice and practical, unlike me," he laughed.

"Oh, yeah, you're a musician, right? How's that going?"

"Okay, I guess. I get a few gigs at night clubs and coffee houses, but right now I'm starting to work on my piece for my school's winter showcase in December." Out of nowhere, Kurt reached out and smacked Blaine in the arm. "Ow! What the fuck was that for?"

"You never told me that you had a showcase. I love hearing you sing." The butterflies that had taken up a permanent residence in Blaine's stomach started fluttering around.

"Well, I only found out the date today and had planned on inviting you when the tickets went on sale, but now I'm not so sure I want someone who abuses me there." He peeled off his jacket to examine the damage and found a red mark in the shape of Kurt's hand on his bicep.

"Yeah," Jordan said, glancing at the mark. "He hits pretty hard. I feel for you, man."

"What is this – Gang Up on Kurt Day?" Kurt pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. Jordan assured him that they were only teasing him and after a few seconds of coaxing, Kurt accepted his kiss.

Watching them, Blaine realized he wanted that – wanted to feel loved and special and wanted. He wanted someone to look at him like he was their entire world and to know that they would do anything for him.

The only problem was that he wanted all of that with Kurt and he couldn't have that.

* * *

"So," Kurt said later that night as he and Jordan lay in bed. "What did you think of Blaine?" Jordan and Blaine both meant a lot to him and he just didn't know what he would do if they didn't like each other.

"I liked him a lot," Jordan answered and Kurt internally relaxed, resting his head on Jordan's bare chest, his left ear pressed against his heart. "He's a lot like you, actually," he added, massaging Kurt's scalp. "What with the music and being from Ohio and all that."

"Mhm," Kurt hummed, eyelids drooping. "I feel kind of bad for him, though."

"Why's that?"

Kurt propped himself up so he was hovering over Jordan. "Because he's never had a boyfriend. I doubt if he's ever been kissed. I just… I mean, I'm happy and I want him to feel that way, too. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, of course it does. Blaine means a lot to you – it's only natural that you want to see him happy." Kurt smiled and lay back down. "So what are you going to do?"

"What _can _I do? I mean, if he doesn't want to date, I can't force him to." Kurt felt so helpless. He had this constant feeling of desperation and sadness in the pit of his stomach where he used to feel the emptiness. He knew that it was because Blaine was unhappy – ever since they'd met, Kurt felt like there was an unspoken bond between them that he knew he could never have with anyone else, not even his dad or Jordan.

"Maybe he just doesn't go out enough to have met the right guy yet. What's the harm in introducing him to a few guys?"

Kurt thought about it. It actually made a lot of sense and he knew just the guy to introduce Blaine to. "What would I do without you?" he asked softly, pressing his lips to Jordan's throat.

"I'm sure you'd do just fine without me," Jordan replied with a kiss to the top of Kurt's head. They both knew that was a lie – that they needed each other – but Kurt was too tired to say anything. So he just settled on Jordan's chest (his favorite pillow) and drifted to sleep as Jordan turned off the light.

The next day, Kurt sat in one of his school's cafes waiting for his friend Kendall, the guy he wanted to introduce Blaine to. Kendall had gone through a nasty break up about five months before and he said he was ready to start dating again. And who better to introduce him to than sweet, loving, kind Blaine?

"Hey, Kurt," Kendall said, pulling up the chair opposite Kurt. "It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Great. You?"

"Can't complain," Kendall said with a shrug. "So what did you need to talk to me about?"

"I think I found a guy for you."

"You have my attention."

Kurt laughed and said, "He's actually my soul mate Blaine. We met a couple of weeks ago and he's probably the sweetest person in the world. He's a musician and totally hot," he added in the hopes of getting Kendall excited about meeting him. As another incentive, Kurt pulled out his phone and showed Kendall a picture he'd taken of Blaine playing his guitar at Morning Joy. Kendall eyed it appreciatively and handed the phone back to Kurt.

"What's the catch?"

"No catch. Blaine's just… well, he's never been in a relationship and he's too kind-hearted to not be loved. I want – no, I _need _– him to be happy."

Kendall looked back down at Kurt's phone, which he had placed on the table, a small smile pulling the corners of his lips up. "Yeah, okay. When can I meet him?"

"Let me talk to him and get back to you." Kurt didn't want Blaine to freak out because he was overstepping some sort of boundary in front of Kendall. Which was why he was going straight from the café to Morning Joy to make sure Blaine was okay with this arrangement.

He just hoped everything would be okay.

At Morning Joy, Abby handed him his usual order without him saying anything. "Maybe that's a sign I come here too much," he laughed.

"I'm not complaining. You and Blaine are half of my business. So," she continued, her tone changing into what Blaine had told him was her famous "gossip voice," "Blaine said you had something to discuss with him. You should just tell me now since Blaine's going to tell me later anyway and I am not a patient woman." Kurt chuckled and told her his plan. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, sweetheart," she said in a soft tone. "The last time I tried to set him up, he didn't talk to me for a week."

"Well, I have to at least try," Kurt said as the bell above the door chimed and a few seconds later, Blaine appeared behind him. Kurt greeted him and as they walked to their table, he wondered what on earth was stopping Blaine from dating.

"So, Mr. Hummel, what was so important that you had to drag me away from my work?" Blaine asked in a light tone that gave away the fact that he wasn't really mad at Kurt as they sat down.

"Okay, so I have this friend named Kendall. I was talking to him about you and he said that he'd be really interested in meeting you." Okay, so that wasn't technically true, but he had to phrase it in a way that didn't let Blaine know Kurt was doing all of this intentionally. "Which is really huge for him because he went through a horrible, nasty break up that he's still sort of getting over."

"Wait, wait, wait," Blaine said, all joking gone from his voice. In fact, he sounded tense and closed off. "Are you trying to set me up on a date?"

"I just want you to be happy, Blaine," Kurt was quick to explain, trying to extinguish the fire burning in Blaine's eyes. "You deserve to be happy."

"I _am _happy," Blaine spat. "Just because _you _need a boyfriend to be happy doesn't mean we all do. I just… no, you know what? I can't do this right now." He stood, leaving his untouched coffee on the table. "I'll see you around, Kurt."

When he was gone, Kurt looked over at Abby, who just shrugged. All of his energy drained, Kurt rested his head on the table. He thought life was supposed to get easier when you met your soul mate, but Kurt's had just gotten a lot more complicated.

* * *

So hope you guys liked that one and hopefully it will be enough to hold you over for the next few days. Since I probably won't update before then, this is me wishing all of you a happy and healthy new year! Stay safe, make smart choices, and find someone to kiss at midnight!

Review!


	5. Chapter 5

So sorry it's been so long... I was busy with real life stuff and then there was a part at the end that I couldn't get right so I had to keep rewriting it *sigh* Well, anyway, it's up now. I'm thinking that from now on, I'm going to try for weekly updates, probably on Saturdays. If anything should change in that schedule, I'll let you guys know!

* * *

Blaine spent the next three days being incredibly angry. Who did Kurt think he was, trying to dictate his life like that? They hardly even knew each other – how was he supposed to know whether or not Blaine was satisfied with his life? Besides, Kurt knew that he didn't date – it had been one of the first things Blaine had told him.

_Well, _the seldom heard from rational part of his brain reasoned, _maybe if you explained to him _why _you've never dated…_

_Oh, shut the fuck up, _he growled at himself.

Great, he was fighting with himself – he really was losing it. And it was all because he'd met Kurt, he realized, setting his guitar aside, knowing that he was too keyed up to work. If he hadn't met Kurt, he'd still have his sanity.

Then again, if he hadn't met Kurt, he'd still be missing half of himself.

"Blaine!" he heard from behind him the next day at school. He turned to see Jordan – of all people – hurrying towards him. "Glad I found you. Listen, do you have a minute?" Blaine was about to say no, he did have a class after all, but then Jordan said the magic words, "It's about Kurt."

"Okay, yeah." He led Jordan to a nearby bench that was far enough out of earshot. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he said, "Look, if you're here to tell me to forgive Kurt, then you're wasting your time and breath. What he did really pissed me off and I'm going to need a lot longer than three days to get over it. I'm sorry."

"Wait!" Jordan called as Blaine made to leave. He walked back to Jordan and sat down next to him on the bench. He gave him an expectant look, silently trying to convey to him to hurry up because Blaine didn't have all day. "Um… so okay. The thing with Kendall was sort of my idea." Blaine settled in, very intrigued now. "The night after we all went to the movies, Kurt was saying how he felt kind of bad for you and that he didn't want you to be sad. Which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me because you seem like a pretty happy guy, but maybe he knew something that I didn't? Anyway, I suggested to him that he introduce you to a couple of guys to see if that helped any."

"Why are you telling me this?" Blaine didn't think that Jordan was exactly the possessive "he's mine, don't touch" kind of boyfriend, but if Blaine had someone as amazing as Kurt, he'd be at least a little bit wary of other guys. Which meant that he definitely wouldn't be trying to get his fucking soul mate of all people to forgive him and start talking to him again.

Maybe Jordan was just a better person than Blaine.

"So you don't blame Kurt. He really misses you, Blaine, and I hate seeing him upset." Just the thought of Kurt being upset over him twisted Blaine's heart into knots. "I just thought that if you knew that it wasn't Kurt's idea, you'd go a little easier on him and maybe start talking to him again?" He posed it as a question, looking expectantly and somewhat hopefully at Blaine. God, the amount of love this guy had for Kurt was very close to verging on sickening, but it was mostly endearing.

"I'm gonna be straight with you… well, sort of. I have a lot of personal reasons for not dating," _the biggest being that I'm in love with your boyfriend_, "and I wish Kurt would have asked me _before_ he tried to set something up, regardless of whose idea it had been. I appreciate you coming down here to tell me that, but Kurt… he broke my trust and hurt my pride. That's not something that just goes away."

"Okay I understand," Jordan said, standing. "Just… can you at least think about what I said? He really misses you. Like, a lot." Blaine nodded once. "Well, guess I'll see you around, then."

As he started to walk away, Blaine called his name, causing him to turn back around. "Can you um… let Kurt know that I don't hate him? I'm just upset and need some time to think." Jordan assured him that he would and Blaine sat on the bench for ten minutes after he was gone, just thinking.

Groaning as he felt a headache forming, Blaine decided that he didn't need to go to class today as he picked up his bag and guitar and left campus, hailing a cab.

As they drove towards his apartment building, Blaine closed his eyes, wondering what the fuck he was going to do. He couldn't go to Abby because he knew she agreed with Kurt and she would tell him to get over it (it meaning both the situation and Kurt). He didn't have any other close friends in the city and had lost touch with Wes and David over the years, so he had no other choice but to call Cooper.

"Blaine?" Cooper grumbled when he answered. "What the hell, man? It's, like, noon." He sounded very hung over.

"And you're a thirty-year-old man who needs to stop partying like a frat boy," Blaine chastised. "Look, Coop, I need some… brotherly advice. It's about Kurt," he added when his request was met with a groan.

"I'm listening," Cooper said, sounding more awake than he had when he'd first picked up. "Did he finally dump Assface and proclaim his undying love for you a la Allie and Noah in _The Notebook_?"

"Okay, two things. First, stop watching romance movies – they make you weird. And second, no. He actually tried to set me up with a friend of his."

"Oh."

"Oh?" Blaine repeated incredulously, having expected a different (read more dramatic) response. "That's all you have to say?"

"Yeah? I mean, it's not a very big deal, is it? Like… Kurt has a boyfriend so why shouldn't you? You deserve to be happy, too, Blaine."

"Why does everyone assume that just because I'm single that I'm unhappy?" Blaine snapped as the cab approached his building. He paid the cabbie and stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Because I'm not. Unhappy, I mean."

"Maybe not unhappy," Cooper allowed gently. "But maybe you're… lonely? And before you say anything because I know damn well you're thinking it, I just mean… don't you want to know what having a boyfriend feels like?"

"…I'm in love with him," Blaine admitted softly, more to himself than Cooper, cocking the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he dug his keys out of his pocket. He entered the apartment and deposited his bag on the kitchen table before walking the two feet it took to be in the living room.

"Oh, Blaine," Cooper said Blaine sunk into the couch, feeling awful. He hated when Cooper said, "Oh, Blaine" like that because it made him feel like a little kid. "Not saying I didn't see this coming, but… how do I put this?"

"But I have to get over it because Kurt's with Jordan and nothing I do will change that, right?" Blaine sneered, parroting what Abby had already told him dozens of times.

"More or less," Cooper agreed. "But," he said in the same breath as Blaine opened his mouth to complain. "That's not to say nothing will ever happen with you and Kurt in the future, but for the time being… you need to live a little, baby brother. You're only twenty years old – you need to start acting like it." A muffled sound came from Cooper's end. "Oh, Ellie's here, gotta go! But think about what I said, okay?" Blaine told him that he would and then hung up, letting Cooper go spend time with his fiancé.

Flopping back onto the couch, Blaine felt his headache intensify and he knew that at this point the only cure was sleep. So he curled in on himself, pressing his face into the cushions, blocking out the world. He fell into a somewhat peaceful slumber, peppered with dreams about Kurt and a tall, faceless man he knew without introduction to be Kendall.

When he woke just as the sun was setting, his head was clearer and Blaine knew exactly what he had to do. Cooper was right – he wasn't exactly like a twenty-year-old should and it was high time he started. He wasn't going to be like his brother and go out drinking four nights a week, but he'd been blessed with a healthy mind and body and he was essentially wasting it. So he decided the next time he saw Kurt (whenever that may be – Blaine wasn't going to seek him out) he was going to ask him for that Kendall guy's number.

He was finally going to start living.

* * *

A week after his fight with Blaine, Kurt had had enough. He missed Blaine to the point it was physically painful. He knew from Jordan that Blaine's pride was wounded but he also didn't hate him. Hearing it secondhand had been enough for the time being to ease the ache in Kurt's chest, but he knew that he needed to hear it from Blaine himself to really start healing.

Which is how he found himself wandering around the NYU campus after his last class, searching for Blaine. After about ten minutes of aimless walking, Kurt decided to ask someone. "Anderson?" the person repeated when Kurt gave them Blaine's name. "Yeah, he's right over there." Kurt followed their finger and saw a small group of people gathered around a single individual. The faint hum of a guitar drifted over towards them and Kurt smiled because of course that was Blaine.

_Seems like everybody's got a price  
I wonder how they sleep at night_

Kurt loved Blaine's affinity for taking old pop songs and turning them into beautiful acoustic numbers. He hung back on the fringes of the crowd, just listening, until Blaine hit the chorus and then Kurt did something he'd never be able to explain in a million years – he stepped forward and started to sing alongside Blaine.

_It's not about the money, money, money  
We don't need your money, money, money_

Blaine looked up from his guitar and smiled so widely that his eyes scrunched up in the corners when he saw Kurt. He continued to sing, Kurt accompanying him.

_We wanna make the world dance  
Forget about the price tag  
Ain't about the cha-ching cha-ching  
Ain't about the ba-bling ba-ling  
Wanna make the world dance  
Forget about the price tag_

By the time they'd finished the song, the only reminder that they weren't completely alone was the applause from the people around them. "Um…" Kurt mumbled, suddenly embarrassed as he looked down at his feet. He hadn't sung in front of people since high school and it was kind of… well, the only way he could describe it was being on display.

"Come with me," Blaine said, grabbing Kurt's hand and leading him to a bench far removed from everything. "So um… you have a lovely singing voice," Blaine commented, but Kurt knew that (while Blaine was right) he was just trying to stall the conversation they needed to have.

Still, Kurt smiled his gratitude. Then, he said, "We can't avoid this forever, Blaine, so…" he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." Blaine raised an eyebrow. "For trying to set you up with Kendall. I know about your strange aversion to dating," he threw in a smirk so Blaine knew he was teasing, "and I shouldn't have tried anything without asking you first."

"You're right," Blaine agreed, and Kurt hung his head, feeling appropriately ashamed. "But I'm sorry, too." Kurt looked back up at him, giving him a 'da fuck you talking about?' look. "For saying that you need to have a boyfriend to be happy. I was angry and I didn't mean that."

Kurt barked out a laugh. "But you were right. When I was in Ohio, I was completely miserable. Then I moved here and all of a sudden, there were guys who were interested in me and it felt really fucking good. There was a dark period with one of Rachel's classmates named Adam, but for the first time… I was wanted. And then I met Jordan and… I just wanted you to feel the same way."

Blaine looked like he was going to say something, then shook his head almost imperceptibly. "I understand that and I appreciate how much you care, but I have a lot of personal issues that I'm still trying to work through."

"I get that – trust me, I know what being fucked up feels like. And you have my word that I will never interfere in your life without your permission again."

"Actually," Blaine said hesitantly, suddenly very interested in his hands. "I've been thinking a-and I think the best way for me to get over y – my issues," he said quickly, leaving Kurt to wonder what he had really wanted to say, "is to face them head on. So, you can set up something with… Kendall?" Kurt nodded in confirmation. "If – if you want to," he tacked on.

"It would be my pleasure," Kurt assured him and Blaine visibly relaxed. "Kendall's a great guy – you won't regret this."

"I trust you," Blaine said, his face breaking into the same smile he'd worn when Kurt start singing with him. Kurt smiled back because, honestly how couldn't he, and promised he would be in touch with Kendall later that night. "Thank you," Blaine said earnestly. "And I'm sorry for getting so pissed off. Like I said, I'm a fuck up."

"Well, us fuck ups gotta stick together," Kurt joked, checking his phone. When he saw that it was already after three, he bit back a gasp. "Speaking of being fucked up… I'm gonna be late for an interview." He hugged Blaine quickly and walked away as fast as he could without running. "See ya later, Blaine!" he called over his he walked (trying desperately not to break a sweat) Kurt felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Whether it was because Blaine was happy or because he was simply talking to him again, Kurt didn't know. What he did know, however, was that he and Blaine Anderson were irrevocably tied to one another.

He wasn't sure if that idea thrilled him or scared him.

* * *

So that's that. It's kind of short, but like I said, this chapter just did not want to be written *epic sigh*

Review!


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